The Many Ways to Say Hello
by Rationally Ill
Summary: Random one-shots featuring different romances (mostly canon) through Marauder to Next-Gen. Some OCs (due to Next-Gen). Most stories based in Harry's Hogwarts time.
1. Fred and Angelina

_Fred and Angelina_

She was sitting on the bleachers when he found her, curled in a ball to hide from the rain. He almost couldn't tell she was crying. Crying, but crying quietly, suppressing her sobs and hiding her face. She turned away when she heard him coming, and it hurt him more than anything.

He sat down next to her on the cold, wet bench, and, taking off his cloak, wrapped it around her shoulders. Hugging her tight, he let her wrap her arms around him.

"Hey." He whispered.

She cried harder, more openly, now. He squeezed her tighter, pulling her closer and onto his lap.

"You can tell me, if you want." He offered after a moment. "I'll listen." Blimey, he was never this serious. It scared him almost as much as her crying.

She sniffled, letting her tears flow for a few more minutes.

"I was so excited." She murmured into his shoulder. "So excited. I've wanted to be Quidditch captain for years. And then—and then that _awful_ woman comes, with her stupid pink clothes and her stupid cats and her stupid, stupid rules. And now you and George and Harry are off the team—that's our three best players. And—and I won't get to see you as much." She finished weakly.

He pulled her closer, breathing in her scent. He smiled into her hair. He let out a chuckle.

She pulled away, looking hurt. "Fred! It's not funny!"

He shook his head. "No, Angie, it's not. Listen, you'll find players. There's two hundred people in Gryffindor, you won't have a problem finding three new players." He paused. "Alright, they might not be as good as us. But you can't always have things perfect. That's life. As for Umbridge? Her time'll come. It always does. I promise you, love, she'll be gone by the end of the year."

She looked at him accusingly. "Fred Weasley, what are you planning?"

He smiled. "Nothing. But face it, she's professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. It's been forty years since someone's kept the job more than a year. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and she'll be one of the ones to die."

She gasped, and swatted his arm. "Fred!"

He laughed, and grabbed her hands. "Wonder what'll happen. Maybe someone will put a compulsion charm on her quills, and she'll bleed to death. Maybe she'll be stampeded by centaurs. Or maybe she'll lose her memory, like Lockhart."

She was starting to grin. His heart soared. "Yeah, can you imagine them sharing a room at St. Mungo's? He'd be trying to give her autographs, and she'd be giving him detention."

"Oooh, kinky." He grinned. "Maybe they'll fall in love and get married. What do you think their kids would like? Blonde toads, I'll bet. With shiny teeth and pink bows in their hair."

She laughed now, for real.

"That's disgusting, Fred. I don't know where you get these thoughts."

"Oi!" He complained, pulling her back into a warm hug. "Here I am, trying my best to cheer you up and make you a very happy Quidditch captain, and all I get is abuse!"

She swatted him again, before returning the embrace happily.

"Thanks for being here."

He hugged her tighter, then slowly tilted her head up to look into her eyes.

He kissed her once, soft and slow.

"I'll always be there, Angie. I promise."

**AN: Sorry, I know this is sad. Sorry, sorry.**

**Please review.**


	2. Harry and Ginny

_Harry and Ginny_

She knew where to find him.

Every time it became too much, every time he needed to forget, every time he needed to stop being the boy-who-lived and become just Harry, he came here.

She didn't know what was so special about the apple tree behind the Burrow. She thinks he just liked it because it was quiet, and you couldn't see it from the house.

She wrapped her sweater around her. It was a windy day, and for some reason that always seemed to make things worse for him.

Maybe he was disappointed the wind didn't blow the pain away. Because really, when you think about it, they didn't win the war. No one did. No one ever does.

What was the point of freedom if Fred wasn't there to laugh with them, to make George smile again? What was the point, if Teddy had to grow up like Harry, never knowing his parents, never having the chance? What was the point, if Dumbledore wasn't there to see how happy the rest of the world was now?

Maybe, she wondered, that was the point. Everyone knew the chance. Everyone _took_ the chance. Why? Because they felt it was worth it. It was selfish of her to wish otherwise.

She reached the tree. He was there, sitting against it with his head in his hands.

She knelt next to him. "Harry?"

He looked up, and she was surprised to see he wasn't crying.

"Harry?" She asked again. "You alright?"

He gave her a loose grin. "Depends. Is everyone better?"

She frowned. "What? What do you mean, better?"

He sighed. "I miss them. I do. But—" He paused, measuring his words. "I mean, I miss them. Fred, and Remus, and Tonks, and Mad Eye, and, hell, even Snape." He choked out a laughed, before looking up at her again.

"Ginny, it was _their_ choice. _Their_ risk. When I was gone, Dumbledore told me to pity the living, not the dead. And—I think he was right.

_"__We _have to go on, to keep fighting. They've done their bit, and all they have to do is wait. Us? We have to live." He swallowed. "And it's hurts to live. It hurts a lot."

She was crying now, feeling hot tears sliding down her cheeks. He hesitantly reached for her, before pulling her close to sit next to him.

"Merlin, Ginny, I'm sorry." I didn't mean to make you upset again. It's just—too much, in there. You know?"

She smiled, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah, Harry. Yeah, I do."

**Revieeeeeeew...please?**


	3. Arthur and Molly

_Arthur and Molly_

Why? Why did it have to be Fred? Why not them? Why?

Twenty years they had raised him. And now he was gone.

She scrubbed at the counter furiously, ignoring her tears. Cleaning, without magic, was very relaxing, she had found. So here she was, in the kitchen, trying so hard not to think about it. About anything, really.

Losing a child. The most painful thing in the world. She wondered, though, if it was even more painful to see everyone else grieving. To see George walking around without his twin. To see Percy back with the family, but ridden with guilt.

Still, she smiled weakly. Things were good. Life was going on.

It had been three years now, and she had two grandchildren, if one was honorary. Teddy, and little Victoire. She had never been more proud of her family.

And of course, Ron was planning on proposing to Hermione. Honestly, those two couldn't go a week without fighting and storming off, but they really were so sweet, and clearly in love. Ginny and Harry were going strong, though they were waiting before making any serious commitments. He had just finished Auror training, and she had finally joined the Holyhead Harpies, just like she had wanted to. Percy had found a steady, if strange, girlfriend in Audrey, and George had recently started seeing a girl. Angelina Johnson, she thought.

Everyone was moving on. Even she was. The Burrow had had more rooms added to it, in the hopes that they would soon be filled with laughing grandchildren. The Garden Gnomes were still causing havoc in the garden. Everyone was happy.

But there was still sadness. She bowed her head, refusing to cry. There was always sadness. And there always would be. All they could do was move on, move on but not forget. No, never forget.

A pair of arms wrapped around her as her husband rested his head on her shoulder.

"Morning, Mollywobbles." He said. He always called her that now, trying to get her to laugh, or blush. It usually worked.

Her cheeks turned slightly pink. "Arthur, aren't you supposed to be at work?"

He slowly shook his head. "No work today. It's 2nd May, love. Did you forget? The anniversary."

She had forgotten. How could she have forgotten? It was easy, she supposed. Every day simply ran into each other.

He turned her around and wiped the tears away.

"Now, Molly, dear. Why the tears? I'd hoped to be the first to tell you the good news, but—"

She cut him off. "Good news? Goodness gracious, Arthur, what good news? I haven't had any!"

He smiled, relieved to have her concentrating on something besides cleaning. "Well, dear, remember that girl George is seeing? Angelina Johnson? The one who got Ginny on the Harpies?"

She nodded yes. "Of course, Arthur, how could I forget? She's a good match for him, very sweet but strong, and pretty too."

"Well, I was told George got her pregnant."

It took her a moment to realize what he said. "But—but they're not even married!"

"With twins." He said gently.

"WHAT!?"

"Relax, dear, they're fraternal, not identical..."


	4. Sampson and Roxanne

_Sampson Wood [OC] and Roxanne Weasley_

She wondered why she was doing this again.

The idiot. She couldn't believe it. Just because she had kicked his arse in Quidditch…Really. The Woods were _sooo_ melodramatic. It was unbelievable. Why was she dating him again?

"Cause you think he's cute." Her older twin answered her silent question, stepping out of the changing room. Fred smirked as she scowled at him.

"Don't read my thoughts. Or I might just show a couple of yours to Jo…?" She suggested.

Fred scowled. "Keep my girlfriend out of this." He nodded at the changing room. "I suggest you do your thing with him. There is a _vast_ difference between best friends and girlfriends and, twins or not, I will not cross that line."

She grinned. "Uh-uh. Whatever, Freddie."

She brushed past him and entered the blue and bronze changing room. Her sorry excuse for a boyfriend was sobbing his heart out on the floor. Oh well. At least he wasn't trying to throw himself off the Astronomy Tower again.

She came to a stop in front of him, lips pursed, arms akimbo, foot tapping. A little pose referred to by her cousins as 'Slytherin time'. So? She _was_ a Slytherin.

"Sampson. Wood." He winced as she enunciated each word.

"Go ahead." He whined pitifully. "Kill me."

She kicked him. "Wood, you know damn well Slytherin was already ahead for the cup. Honestly, you can still make it up if you beat your sister in the next match. Which I doubt, because there is a reason she was put in Gryffindor and you weren't."

He wailed. Honestly, he wailed.

She huffed. "God, Wood, really? What'll it take?"

He froze.

Oh god. Oh Merlin. Oh bloody hell. She didn't. What had she done? Roxanne Weasley, Ice Queen Prankster Extraordinaire of Slytherin, had just sold her soul.

Wood may not have been a Gryffindor, but he made a damn smart Ravenclaw. Hell, the only reason Slytherin had won this match was because she had managed to sneak a peek at Fred's playbook. If Wood saw a chance, he usually took it. Unless, of course, it involved Quidditch or Roxanne. In which case, he always took it. Hell, that's how she ended up dating him.

Honestly, why he and Fred were so pissed at each other, just because Wood was dating Fred's sister and Fred was dating Wood's sister, was way beyond her.

Boys.

Wood blew his nose on somebody's towel. He gave her a hopeful look, which she translated to roughly mean _a Hogsmeade trip, a good long snog in the broom cupboard, and one more in front of Fred_.

"Why, Roxy, thanks! You're so kind!"

She rolled her eyes. "Get on with it."

"A date at Hogsmeade, a good long snog in a broom closet, and one in front of your brother." Merlin, she knew him well.

"Skip the one in front of Fred, and we've got a deal."


	5. Remembrance

The first and last time she saw them was at Platform Nine and ¾.

She had gone to pick up Susan, who was coming home from the end of fourth year. It had been a hard year for her niece, Amelia knew, with the excitement of the Tournament ending with one of her very own housemates dead.

It was such a shame, too. The Diggorys were such nice people, and Cedric had been a fine boy. Polite, and kind, and with looks like his of course all the girls had fawned over him, but from what Susan always said, Cedric Diggory had been perfectly chivalric and completely loyal to his girlfriend.

She sighed as she stood in the rain, thinking of two very different boys, ones who had been just as handsome, and just as kind and loyal in their own ways. She swallowed painfully, knowing she should push the thought away before memory took over, but wanting to feel the forbidden pleasure of remembering just once…only once…

She blinked and shook her head, standing straighter and squaring her shoulders. No, it simply wouldn't do for her to be thinking of them at a time like this. The train was pulling into the station now, and families were pushing forward, wanting to see and comfort their children after the horror they had just seen.

Amelia didn't rush forward with the others; she waited against the wall, where she always did, knowing Susan would come and find her, just as she always did. She saw Susan now, talking quietly with her friends. Hannah Abbott, and another girl whose name Amelia didn't know.

Good. Amelia didn't want to wait around any longer. It was cold, and wet, and she had to get back to work.

She let her eyes float around the platform, not looking at anything in particular. She happened over a thick cluster of redheads, then continued—

She gasped, spinning back around to stare.

Identical. Freckles. Fiery red hair. Deep, warm brown eyes that you could drown in. Mischievous smiles that made you want to check your pockets. Strong, sturdy shoulders, and long, gangly limbs that shouldn't have gone together, but did.

How—

No. Amelia wanted to kick herself at her blunder.

Gryffindor colored robes, instead of Ravenclaw.

Their cheekbones weren't quite as defined.

They were just children. Not even graduated.

And yet—her heart still skipped a beat as a single tear ran down her cheek.

"Auntie?" Susan's worried voice broke her focus.

"Auntie? Are you alright?"

As she took the trolley from her niece, she spared one more glance at the twins. _The wrong twins_, she told herself. _Not her twins_.

No.

No, Susan, Auntie would never be alright. Not really.

Because as much as Fred and George might look like them, they would never be their uncles.


	6. Understanding Hatred

Sirius Black hated James Potter.

No one knew that. Even if they thought he did, they didn't know the real reason.

Sirius Black absolutely despised his so-called best friend.

And even though he sometimes wished James Bloody Potter would drop off the ends of the earth, Sirius knew that he would do anything for James.

Anything.

Even walk away from the only girl he ever truly loved.

Sirius was well known for being able to bag any girl. He'd flirt, and wink, and then he'd end up in someone's bed.

That's how it always was.

People said he was irresponsible. Said no honest woman would ever settle down with him.

So he said he didn't want an honest woman. Said he wanted every woman, and to do that, you couldn't be married.

So he jumped, and dove, and broke hearts left and right with that 'ole Black charm that he of course just had to inherit.

Because the Black charm wasn't really a charm. It was a curse. Not a nice one like the Potter curse, either, where you supposedly fell in love with someone of a certain hair color—

No. The Black curse ensured that you could get any woman. Except the one who got you.

He tried to fight it, tried to ignore it.

Hell, he'd even started a rumor that he and Remus were dating, and he was _so_ glad Remus never found out that Sirius was the one who started it, or Sirius would never have to worry about love ever again, because he'd be worrying about other things.

Yes, Sirius Black hated James Potter.

He hated Severus Snape, too.

Oh yes, the slimy, sniveling git was totally worth his hatred. Sirius just wanted to shudder every time he saw the Slytherin.

But that wasn't all.

He hated James Potter.

He absolutely loathed Severus Snape.

And he cursed Lily Evans _–Potter, Lily Potter—_to the ends of the earth, to the very pits of hell, _anywhere where he didn't have to see her, anywhere he didn't have to think of her, where he didn't have to be reminded of what he'd lost_.

And sometimes, he just didn't care. Because James Potter had known how special Lily was, even before Sirius had. And Snivellus, _smelly, icky little Snivellus,_ had known even before James had.

No matter what anyone thought, he hadn't betrayed the Potters. James was his best friend, and Lily was the love of his life.

It was that simple.

And sometimes, when he looked at Harry, he just didn't know what to think.

Whenever he saw the boy, his precious, beloved godson, he thought he could understand Snape.

Because it was Lily's eyes and soul in James Potter's body.

Yes, James had been his best friend.

Yes, Sirius would have died for James. Twice.

But he would never, _ever_ stop loving Lily Evans.


	7. Fred II and Jo

_Fred Weasley the Second and Josephine Wood [OC]_

He was standing near the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room, his hands clasped behind his back. He was leaning against the wall nonchalantly, looking as if he didn't have a care in the world.

The Portrait swung open and she climbed out, the tip of her brown ponytail swinging loosely over her shoulder. She was dressed in her Quidditch robes, and her bag was slung over her arm. She was even wearing the Quaffle charm bracelet he had gotten her three years ago.

He grinned cockily as she neared him. "What, can't you even dress up for a date?"

She smirked back at him, eyeing his open tie, half unbuttoned shirt, and rumpled hair. "I will if you will. What you were you doing that took so long anyway, snogging my brother? You look it."

He made a face. "Merlin, Jo, my eyes! No, actually, I was helping Gid with a little something down in Longbottom's office."

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure whether or not to be impressed by your stupidity, Weasley. You do remember what happened last time you pranked Professor Longbottom?"

He grinned wider. "You mean when _we_ pranked him. 'Sides, should be fine. We stayed out of his greenhouses, after all."

She pretended to glare at him, and tossed him her bag. "Yeah, sure. What are we doing?"

He ignored her question, and guided her down the steps. "Just came from Quidditch practice?"

"Of course. What else?"

"You and Jamie still fighting over the captainship?"

She snorted angrily at the mention of his cousin. "James bloody Potter is a complete arse!"

"I'm sure half the girls in the school agree with you."

She smacked him in the shoulder. "He _knows_ we have a split captainship! And yet it still doesn't stop him from trying to take everything over! Argggh! I _wish_ he'd just gone to one of the club teams, but _noooo_! He had to go on _my_ team!"

He laughed.

"Fred!"

"Sorry." He answered, not meaning it at all. "But tonight will make up for it."

She looked at him disbelievingly.

He stopped for a moment to hide her bag behind one of the suits of armor. "Follow me."

He led her down and out onto the grounds. The sun was setting, and there was about twenty minutes left until curfew, but he was Fred Weasley the Second, thank you, and a little thing like curfew wasn't going to hinder his plans for tonight.

Grinning happily, he led her over to a tree by the lake. It was quiet out, with no one but them around. He stopped them about five feet from the edge.

Pulling out his own Quidditch bag from his pockets [he had shrunken it, obviously], he pulled out his broom—and hers.

"Freddie!" She almost shrieked in surprise. "I just had that with me! It was in my bag! How do you _do_ that?"

He laughed again. "I'm the best thief in Hogwarts, love. Anyway, come on. I'll race you."

And so the two of them raced their brooms over the still water, enjoying the moonlight shining down on them, and the chance to be alone. They flew a few laps around the lake, and slowed down near the middle.

They were both panting heavily, and sweating a bit.

"I so wish our brooms could go under the water." She said wistfully. "It would be so cool."

He frowned. "You hate getting wet."

"Hate's a very strong word."

"You hate getting wet, you hate my cousin, and you hate chocolate frogs. I'd say you have sufficiently strong feelings regarding all three of those things."

She smiled at him, and bumped into his shoulder gently. "You know, some guys would be jealous if a girl had such strong feelings for their cousin."

"Yeah, and I might, if James wasn't so busy pestering Allie."

She giggled. "I feel so bad for her. He's so annoying."

"Not as annoying as me?"

"That's true. No one's as annoying as you…except maybe my brother."

"Hey!" He protested as she laughed at him. "I am far more annoying than Wood!"

"Yes you are." She reached over and kissed him.

He very happily kissed back.


End file.
